The Supreme Court (SC) confirmed on Tuesday that it had received an anonymous letter calling for the disbarment of Vice President Sara Duterte over her controversial statement regarding the exhumation of the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and their disposal in the West Philippine Sea.
According to SC Spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting, the letter was dated October 24 but only reached the Supreme Court this month.
"Just this month, the Supreme Court received an anonymous complaint regarding her [VP Sara Duterte's] statements about the late Ferdinand Marcos," Ting said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Aside from the recent complaint, Ting revealed that Duterte is also facing a pending disbarment case filed in 2011 when she was still the mayor of Davao City. The case stems from Duterte’s physical assault on then-Davao City Sheriff Abe Andres, who was implementing a court-ordered demolition involving informal settlers.
While Andres did not file a case against Duterte, she was reprimanded by the Ombudsman for her actions.
Under the Rules of Court, disbarment complaints can be filed either with the Supreme Court or the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). The Supreme Court can also, on its own initiative, investigate the behavior and actions of any member of the Bar.
"It's always possible that the Supreme Court could take cognizance of anything that is publicly known. Let's see and wait what the Court will do," Ting added.
As of now, the SC has not disclosed any further steps regarding the complaints.
